Ravinia 2026 Issue 1

HUNTERPAVILION 60th Gala, Hosted by the Ravinia Women’s Board 6:00 PM SATURDAY, JULY 11 , 2026 CHICAGO SYMPHONYORCHESTRA MARIN ALSOP, conductor YUNCHAN LIM, piano LIZZO, flute † JANAI BRUGGER, soprano KAYLEE JOHNSON, flute SMITH “ e Star-Spangled Banner” (arr. Stock) JanaiBrugger BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide BRICCIALDI Carnival of Venice (arr. Galway) Lizzo DELIBES “Sous le dôme épais” (Flower Duet) from Lakmé Lizzo;KayleeJohnson LIZZO / ALLEN / HULL / MERCEREAU “If You Love Me” (orch. Davies) Lizzo RAVEL Piano Concerto in G major Allegramente Adagio assai Presto YunchanLim STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier (arr. Rodziński) ( performed without breaks ) Prelude (Act I) Presentation of the Silver Rose (Act II) Baron Ochs’s Waltz (Act II) Ist ein Traum (Act III) Waltz (reprise) . . † Ravinia debut Steans Institute alum Reach Teach Play alum Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Premier Sponsor The Dancing Skies Foundation . Yunchan Lim’s appearance is made possible in part by the Maxine M. Hunter Guest Artist Fund . JOHNSTAFFORDSMITH (1750–1836) “ e Star-Spangled Banner” (arranged by Frederick Stock) Scored for two utes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, four percussionists, and strings Congress formally adopted “ e Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem of the United States on March , . e history of this poet- ic text already had entered our national folklore. During the War of , lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key boarded a British ship moored in Chesapeake Bay on September , , to nego- tiate the release of a prisoner. e crew detained the two Americans while the enemy eet began its attack on Fort McHenry. Key anxiously watched the battle throughout the night and, in the morning light, spotted the American ag, tattered and punctured by cannon re, still y- ing alo above the fort. On the boat ride back to Baltimore, Key jotted down his poem originally entitled “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” which appeared days later on a broadside cued to a tune known as “Anacreon in Heaven,” or “ e Anacreontic Song.” John Sta ord Smith is now credited with writing this sturdy, vocally demanding melody in or to accompany dinner meetings of London’s Anacreontic Society. “ e Star-Spangled Banner” has stirred emotion ever since Francis Scott Key matched his four verses (only the rst is typically sung) to John Sta ord Smith’s tune, though not universally the same emotion. is anthem has been a source of deeply rooted patriotism, a stage for political protest, a call for national unity, and a witness to enduring social struggle. Its melody has traveled a long road, from an th-century tribute to the ancient Greek poet Anacreon to Jimi Hendrix’s searing Woodstock deconstruction and Whitney Houston’s commanding Super Bowl XXV in- terpretation, just days a er the United States entered the rst Persian Gulf War. American A View of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry by John Bower (c. 1814) RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 11 – JULY 19 , 2026 70